Pick a wedding cake can be as easy as pie -- if you know what you want

Wednesday

Jun 20, 2007 at 12:01 AMJun 20, 2007 at 8:15 PM

Choosing a cake may be one of the most exciting — and tastiest — parts of planning a wedding.

Amy Lawson

Though she had no idea what was in store for her wedding when she began to plan it, Karen Hagberg-Porter knew one thing: She wanted a simple cake.

“I never actually sat and thought about my wedding day when I was a little girl,” the Voluntown resident said. “But my day was as beautiful as it could have been. The chef decorated the cake with plain whipped cream. It was all very cute and simple, which is our style.”

Choosing a cake may be one of the most exciting — and tastiest — parts of planning a wedding. Hagberg-Porter’s all-white cake may sound traditional to many, but local bakers say what’s hot in wedding cakes today is anything but ordinary.

“Very few people are going with a white cake,” said Charlene Lindquist, owner of The Cake Lady in New London. “They’re doing chocolate or almond, or carrot cake. Everyone is looking for something a little different.”

A cake decorator since she was a teenager, Lindquist has been a professional for five years. She provides clients with cakes for all occasions — birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, bar mitzvahs and everything in between.

Just as the flavors of wedding cakes have broadened, so have the colors of the accent frostings, Lindquist said.

“Last year, I saw a lot of pink cakes, or red used as an accent color. This year, it’s a lot of green,” she said. “People are requesting shades of celadon lately.”

Though Lindquist sells buttercream-frosted cakes exclusively, she said there’s a trend toward fondant, a flat layer of sugar paste placed on top of frosting.

Fondant can be made in any color, and it allows for intricate decorations and designs, but, Lindquist said, it’s not especially edible.

“It tastes gross,” she said. “No one wants to eat that.”

But guests can peel the fondant layer off with a fork and enjoy the cake, which typically is frosted with a thin layer of buttercream underneath.

Judy Bauer, owner of J. Bauer Sculpted Cakes in Griswold, said she has done a few fondant-covered cakes this year, in lavender, pink and pale blue. Because fondant cakes are more labor-intensive, they also are more expensive, she said.

Bauer said she typically completes three wedding cakes per Saturday. Her customers usually choose the more traditional cakes — vanilla and butter cake are two popular varieties. But she’s had requests for just about every decoration.

“People are looking for something more traditional, but at the same time having a trendy wedding,” she said. “Any time you’re looking at adding a lot of flavors, it’s also going to be pricier.”

The traditional bride and groom cake toppers, and using pillars or fountains to separate cake layers, are passé.

Lindquist said brides and grooms these days are choosing fresh flowers or “cake jewelry” (silver or gold monogram letters) to top off their cakes.
And wedding cakes aren’t necessarily round anymore either.

Bauer said she’s getting more requests for square cakes. The contemporary design appeals to brides looking to have the less-than-typical cake at their table.

The cake is one of the pricier items on the list of wedding costs, but Lindquist said there are ways to save money.

One popular option is using a “dummy cake” for the cutting ceremony.

While two layers — the top and bottom — are actual cake, the middle layers are made of Styrofoam. A double-layer sheet cake in the kitchen is then cut up and distributed to the guests. That way, the couple can cut and feed each other the sugary confection, have the top layer to save, and feed guests economically.

Cake decorator Ana Parzych, who recently was featured on a Food Network special, said more and more brides are asking for a groom’s cake as part of their dessert feast.

“These are smaller, usually chocolate, cakes with a sports or hobby theme. It’s usually ordered as a surprise to the groom. So much of the wedding is just about the bride, so it’s a nice touch,” she said.

More and more customers also are requesting candy cake fillings, such as Snickers or Heath bars mixed into the frosting, she said.

Whatever color, style, height or flavor is right for a wedding, the bottom line, Lindquist said, is for brides not to stress about choosing their dream cake.

“It’s supposed to be a joyful process. I know that if you don’t like the way things come out, I’m not going to see you again, and that’s not what I want,” Lindquist said. “I want you to feel like you can come back for your child’s first birthday cake.”

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